To Live
by Wolven316
Summary: It's been three years. Lizzie is now 29,and Fred has been exiled to living as a human. What will happen now that her old best friend is real and by her side?  Re-post. Will continue if I get enough reviews  more than 5 . Rated T for safety.
1. Home Again

The harsh pounding of the gavel broke through the noise of the courtroom. The chaos subsided as an orange and green clad man waddled out from behind the podium.

"All rise before Judge Namby Pamby!" He bellowed as a petite round woman took her place behind the wooden stand, her pink and purple frills bouncing as she sat. She cleared her voice as the courtroom stood and sat in unison.

"Today we are meeting to discuss the actions of Mr. Drop Dead Fred," she piped in a high pitched voice, "Accused of not meeting the expectations of an Imaginary Friend, he is brought before you today to decide a verdict. Please bring in the accused." Double doors opened wide and the company gasped in unison. Two burly men escorted a man in a tattered green suite and yellow trousers into the courtroom. He had fiery orange hair that stuck out in all directions; his face, lined with creases that told stories of a once present grin. Rumor had it that Fred wasn't the maniac he used to be, but no one was ready for the soulless eyes that gazed blankly as he trudged past the pews. Fred found his seat behind the podium and sat down with an unceremonious plop. One of the men that had escorted him in strode to the front of the room and started to plead the case.

"Your honor, I bring before you Drop Dead Fred, a member of the I.F.S. His latest child was a Ms. Natalie Buntz, who has long since overcome her need for him, yet he has not found another host. During his time with Natalie I oversaw that he was lacking certain criteria that befit an I.F. His smile was dim, laugh was half hearted, and his general zaniness was lacking tremendously. I believe Fred has lost his touch in dealing with younger children due to lack of contact. After all he was in a box for 21 years. Therefore, your honor, I believe he should be sentenced to a life without the benefits of the imaginary."

Once again the audience erupted in whispers and gasps. Fred stared wide-eyed at the floor, his heart skipping a beat. Was this man offering that he should become… human? His eyes left the floor for the first time and wandered up to find Namby Pamby looking at him with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

Suddenly, a familiar red and black costumed man standing on his chair and yelling above the pandemonium, effectively silencing the room once more, caught his attention.

"Your honor?" Herman cleared his throat," I think Fred should be stripped of his powers too. He's my best buddy, and the games were sick, but he just doesn't have it anymore. " Go To Hell Herman sat with a smirk on his face and Velcro Head stood in his place.

"I think he should be human too," his lopsided mouth pulling into a smile, "He deserves it." Velcro Head looked at Fred with a quirked eyebrow and time seemed to stop. His head shot up to look at Judge Pamby in amazement as the realization hit him of what could happen in he was human. She grinned.

"Well then, I believe this case is settled. Fred, you are hereby exiled to live as a mortal. We'll be checking in now and again." Namby Pamby pounded the gavel and the sound waves seemed to reverberate through Fred's body. "Case closed!"

Without warning, the previously dead Fred jumped onto the podium and screamed at the top of his lungs with joy. Go To Hell Herman shifted over in his chair toward Velcro Head.

"How long you think it takes before he leaves?"

Just as the words escaped his mouth, Drop Dead Fred leaped off the stand and landed on the ground, turned around to Judge Pamby and bowed low.

"Thank you my lovely lady for this fine sentence but I must be off." He looked up at her with the mischievous look in his eye that everyone knew and loved as he mocked politeness. Then he turned around and ran out the doors.

"Didn't take long I'll tell you that." Velcro Head chuckled and leaned his head back in amazement. For this was the first day in two years that he had seen his friend smile again. And now, as everyone in the courtroom knew, he was on his way to find the girl that started it all.

A young woman trudged her way through damp streets of the night. It was 2:33 a.m. and Lizzie Cronin was walking back to her apartment from the store where she picked up her dates for the night: Ben and Jerry. Her rain boots thumped against the pavement of the alleyway behind her building and a shutter ran up her spine. It had been years since that horrible, wonderful day when her life had been saved… and ruined. Her mind wandered back to the nightmare that had roused her from sleep and driven her to go out in the cold. Dodging puddles she shook her head of the fiery red hair that still lingered behind her eyelids. Hearing the sound of double footsteps she paused for a moment, turning to see if anyone was there. Of coarse there wasn't, so she walked on. Shuffling along she herd it again, but louder. Slowing, she realized that someone was walking down the alley too, behind her. Fear and realization rose as the steps got louder and hers got quicker, but just before she could call for help she was pushed against the wall forcefully and pinned against someone's body. Yelping, a hand covered her mouth and she stared into coal-black eyes. Something cold and sharp grazed her neck and she whimpered, feeling his body pressed up against her full of intention.

"Well, what is a pretty girl like you," he licked his lips, "doing in a place like this?" smiling wickedly the man lowered his head to smell her hair, groaning and pushing the knife tight against her throat, calling a few beads of blood to the surface. "Now we are going to have a little bit of fun, and you are going to keep quiet like a good girl and maybe I won hurt you." He growled out the last few words and tightened his grip on the blade, this time causing the crimson beads to stream across the glinting metal.

Her eyes shut tight, tears already flowing as she braced herself for the worst. She couldn't feel her leg; it must have hit something on the wall. She couldn't run… she was trapped.

He kissed her. Hard. His mouth started to roam her body but it seemed that it was over just as fast as it had started. She had felt the weight being pulled off and her body falling to the wet ground. Trying to see though the haze of tears she could make out what seemed to be a man in a business suit kicking her assailant to the ground. Bringing a hand to her neck to stop the bleeding she tried to scoot away, her leg still not responding as she pressed back against the dumpster and into the darkness. She watched as the man whom she could clearly see had long hair and what looked to be a green blazer on pulled the thug from the ground. She couldn't make out what he said from the rushing noise in her ears, but as soon as he let the man down he was out of sight, tripping his way down the alley in fear.

Another round of apprehension overwhelmed her as she watched her supposed hero approach her; was he there to hurt her too? She backed farther into the corner with wide eyes that would match a terrified mouse. The man knelt before her and brought an outstretched hand to her neck; she flinched and he dropped his hand slowly.

"Lizzie," he whispered, catching her off guard, "I'm not going to hurt you." This time didn't hesitate to pull her hand away to look at her neck and the angry gash that was there. She shifted and he looked into her eyes. Chocolate gazed into green as she studied him, her heart thudding heavily on her chest. She took in his tattered green blazer and his yellow trousers, his frizzy yellow hair and his lop-sided smile that was barely there. Shock overwhelmed her.

"F-fred?" she whimpered in disbelief. His eyes softened.

"Hello Snotface."

Almost instantly she fell forward in unconsciousness, landing in his arms. He looked around in slight panic until he was sure she was breathing, and then propped her up against the dumpster. He looked her over and all he could see was the cut on her neck and a deep black bruise spreading across her left knee and calf. Her sweat pants and t-shirt weren't doing much for the cold so he took off his jacket and wrapped it around her. Stooping, he picked her up and stood, looking around as if a sign would pop in and tell him where to go. He could see the lake from where he stood and started towards it; he knew Janie had a new "pirate ship' there that Lizzie had talked about with Mickey Fartpants one time.

Wandering around the docks he saw a bunch of the pirate ships lined up; he looked up at them, wondering which was hers. A small groan from his passenger let him know that he needed to find her. Fast.

"Janie!" He yelled, voice shaking slightly, "Janie where are you?" Worry crept over him until he heard a muffled voice going on about damned hooligans waking her up at some hour of the night. Walking towards the voice and yelling once more he was cut off by a woman with short red hair in a night robe stomping out onto the deck of the boat across from him.

"Who the hell are you and why are you waking me up at this hour?" Janie looked at him and then saw a person in his arms as he strode closer. Recognizing it as Lizzie she screamed and ran onto the dock and towards Fred.

"Who are you and what are you doing with her! Put her down now you creep!" Janie steamed towards him and before Fred could explain, she kicked him in the crotch…HARD.

"Ahhh! Janie…. help h-her…godamit that HURT!" Fred was bent forward holding Lizzie out to her with a pleading look in his eyes. Janie looked over his strange clothes and weird hair with a questioning look as she shuffled her friend onto her back and motioned for him to follow.

Waddling into her home Fred followed her obediently. He did what he was told and lay Lizzie on the table, watched her wrap her neck up and check her over for more injuries, then left when she told him to go to the other room. Sitting on a couch he waited, tapping his foot impatiently until she came in and sat in the armchair adjacent to him, two glasses of wine in her hand. She passed one to him and he took it warily, smelling it and scrunching up his nose in disgust. Janie sighed.

"I guess I should be saying thank you for bringing her here. But I need to know how you found my boat and how you know my name and just who the hell you are. I really hope you aren't some creep I am letting sit in my home. So come one, spill." Her words tumbled from her mouth like a waterfall and Fred was too caught up to know where to begin. She prodded again.

"Well speak up! Who are you and why did you have my friend?" He sighed in frustration and set his glass on the table.

"Fred… I'm Drop Dead Fred"

Janie dropped her glass.


	2. Author's Note

Hey all. So here's the deal, I am not discontinuing this story. I hate it when that happens and I will not be doing it to all of my amazing readers and reviewers. I did want to inform you however, that due to massive amounts of schoolwork and other things I have not had time to continue the story yet. I have many ideas for where I want it to go but I'm not quite in the right mind set to be able to get it on paper (or computer) yet. Please understand that this upsets me greatly and I am very sorry for the inconvenience. I appreciate all of the lovely reviews and will try to continue as soon as I can. Thank you!

Side note: I will be uploading a couple stories this next month or so that I have had for a while. This does not mean that I have abandoned this story! I'm just trying to clear space out of my computer and possibly to get a few more ideas for later chapters


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